Atlanta State Park Information:
This 1,475 acre park is located approximately 10 miles northwest of Atlanta in the pine forests on the south shore of Wright Patman Lake. The Caddo Indians, the most culturally advanced tribe in Texas, lived here, as evidenced by the graves, post molds from houses, and artifacts the Smithsonian Institute has unearthed. The 20,300 surface acre Wright Patman Lake has 170 miles of shoreline and an average depth of 40 feet. Park activities include swimming, fishing, hiking, boating, water skiing, biking, birding, and camping. Park entrance and camping fees apply. The park is open year round. For more complete park information, read the Park Brochure, watch the Park Video. From U.S. 59, exit onto FM 96 west and travel 9 miles to FM 1154. Drive north 2 miles to Park Road 42. FM 1154 dead ends at Park Road 42. Atlanta State Park Facilities Map

2014 - Sian Bighead Carp Confirmed in Sulphur River Below Wright Patman Lake Dam:
The Bighead Carp is an invasive species that was first imported into the U.S. by a private fish farmer in Arkansas who wanted to use them in combination with other fish species to improve water quality and increase fish production in culture ponds. They began to appear in the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers in the early 1880s. They have since spread to other rivers. Bighead Carpis an invasive species that grows quite large and depletes the zooplankton populations needed by Texas game fish, causing their decline. “It is crucial to the survival of all native fishes that these invasive fish are not taken live from Lake Wright Patman or from the Sulphur River, and that all bait fish caught on the Sulphur River are not taken to Wright Patman Lake.

Wright Patman Lake Information:
The 18,994 surface acre Wright Patman Lake was formed by damming the Sulphur River. Construction began in 1948, and the lake was impounded in 1956. The lake was originally known as Lake Texarkana. In the late 1970s, the lake was renamed in honor of Wright Patman, a former East Texas congressman. The lake has 170 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 40 feet. Activities include camping, boating, fishing, hunting, hiking, swimming, picnicking and wildlife viewing. The dam is located in Bowie and Cass Counties. The lake is located in Bowie, Cass, Morris, Titus and Red River Counties in the Pineywoods Region of East Texas, approximately 9 miles southwest of Texarkana, Texas. From Houston take U.S. 59 north towards Texarkana. Go left on FM 2148 then turn left at Wright Patman Dam. Turn left onto the dam road and drive to the Wright Patman Lake Office. Lake Location MapCurrent Lake LevelWright Patman Lake Facilities MapTPWD Public Access Facilities Map

Sulphur River:
The 183 mile long Sulphur River rises at the junction of the North Sulphur and South Sulphur Rivers in Fannin County. The Middle Sulphur River’s rises four miles northeast of Wolfe City in northeastern Hunt County. It flows for 26 miles to its mouth on the South Sulphur River at Jim Chapman Lake (formerly Cooper Lake). The North Sulphur River flows east and southeast before reaching its mouth on the South Sulphur River two miles north of Cunningham in Lamar County, and 26 miles downstream from the Jim Chapman Lake dam. This main Sulphur River stream flows eastward where it is dammed six miles southeast of Redwater, Texas to form Wright Patman Lake. It exits Wright Patman Lake and continues east and enters Arkansas, four miles east of Domino. In Arkansas it flows east for fifteen miles to its mouth on the Red River, two miles northeast of Doddridge in southern Miller County. Fish Stocking History